Bard of Camelot
by FarisPants
Summary: Merlin is a Charmer competing in a national televised singing competition . In a world where Charmers are seen as evil, he has to be on his toes at all times to avoid being caught. It becomes difficult to conceal his secret when he realizes that many of the contestants on the show are all targeting the infuriating prat who's most anticipated to win the title Bard of Camelot.
1. Home

When Sinitra hit the FM with a static-filled rendition of _When You're Smiling_, Merlin dropped his dishtowel on the drying rack, ran over to where Hunith was sorting through piles of bills at the kitchen table, and pulled her to her feet.

"When you're laughing, when you're laughing!" Merlin falsettoed as he sent Hunith into a twirl. Neither of them had a single dancing bone in their bodies, but over the years they had pieced together a step sequence that could smoothe Hunith's deepening worry lines.

"I'm going to have to find another strapping young man to take me dancing."

"No fair, Mom! You can't replace me! Besides, you'll be coming out, won't you?"

"As if anything could keep me away." Hunith hid her face in Merlin's shoulder. "My baby's all grown up and going on national television."

"Mom!" Merlin whined. "Don't cry! You can't! Frank says you can't."

"I'm proud of you, Merls. You'll find your way in the world and not need your old lady any more."

"Rubbish," Merlin said heatedly. "You're my queen, and I can't have you talking about my queen that way!" He attempted a dip and almost dropped Hunith on the floor. Hunith caught herself on the counter and pulled herself up to drop a kiss on Merlin's cheek.

"We should do something special before you go."

"Special as in trim-the-bushes special?" asked Merlin fearfully, and Hunith laughed.

"What do the kids do nowadays for fun?"

"I'm just a momma's boy. How would I know?"

_Cause when you're smiling_, the radio sang as Hunith held on as tight as she can to Merlin, _the whole world smiles with you._

"_**It'll be okay**_," Merlin said. The Charm slipped unbidden into his voice. "I'll come visit a lot."

"Do no such thing," Hunith scolded. She grabbed the abandoned dishtowel, swatted Merlin across the bum, and handed it back to him. "You've got a fine opportunity, and you're going to focus on it. That means no Charming. You've got to get into the habit of concealing it."

"I can!" Merlin insisted.


	2. Sway

Merlin was not very good at sitting alone. As soon as Will made his way towards the toilets, he downed the rest of his ginger ale and began fiddling with his glass.

"Can I get you anything?" The bartender smiled easily and Merlin smiled gawkily back.

"Um, no. But thank you for asking!"

"Holler if there's anything you'd like." The bartender winked, tossed Merlin's glass into the air, and caught it behind his back.

"Maybe more nuts?" Merlin suggested hesitantly.

"You don't have to ask for anything," the bartender laughed, but he nonetheless grabbed the mixed nuts bowl and moved towards the counter island for a refill. Merlin looked to the toilets and tried to will Will reappear so that he didn't look like a pathetic loner. His eye caught on the bartender stiffening, abandoning the nut bowl on the counter, and heading towards the new arrivals at the bar. Merlin recognized them as fellow contestants, but he couldn't place their names. The three of the made their orders, and, as the bartender turned, Merlin caught sight of his slack, crisp, and lifeless expression.

The bartender showed unmistakable signs of being Charmed.

Merlin threw a startled look to the singers. He couldn't tell if one of them was responsible. The black man looked cheerful and the blond man, sour. He couldn't quite read the brunette.

Merlin looked back at the bartender just in time to see his hand pass over a Scotch glass; a fragment of butcher's paper showed between his fingers and white powder drifted into the glass.

Merlin looked anxiously at the toilets, but Will was still resolutely not appearing.

The bartender served drinks, and the Scotch went to the blond. Merlin swallowed hard and made his way over to that side of the bar.

"Hi," he squeaked behind the blond. He scrambled into the empty seat next to the singer. "Um, hello?" The blond either didn't hear him or was completely ignoring him. But as he reached for his Scotch, Merlin grabbed his elbow. He turned slowly and looked Merlin up and down.

"May I help you?" he asked with a cold, condescending eyebrow.

"Uh, Merlin," said Merlin. He thrust a hand forward.

"Arthur," the blond replied without so much as touching Merlin's hand. Merlin threw a last desperate look towards the toilets-Will was much better at talking to people than he was-and fumbled his hands into his lap.

"Um, I think your drink might be spiked." Merlin froze as he finished. He had just been struck by the possibility that Arthur had _wanted_ his drink spiked. Or maybe that's how drinks were made. Merlin really wasn't experienced in such matters.

"Nonsense. It's fresh from the bar," Arthur said. He waved Merlin away, but Merlin sat immobile."Unless you're accusing the bartender?" Arthur continued as he realized that Merlin wasn't planning on moving any time soon. Merlin startled. There was one thing he knew with absolute certainty: the bartender had most certainly been Charmed.

"No!" Although the bartender was definitely not at fault, there would for sure be an uproar if it were discovered that there was a Charmer on the premises. "It was tampered with," Merlin said less emphatically.

"I'm not sure you're not just trying to bum my drink." Arthur reached again for his glass, but Merlin moved faster. He snatched the glass out of Arthur's reach, and Arthur's companions began to laugh.

"I'm sure your drink was tampered with!" Merlin stood so that he was holding the glass as far away from Arthur as possible.

"You're tampering with my drink." Arthur rose too. He wasn't as tall as Merlin, but he had a definite weight advantage.

Merlin panicked.

He leaped back from Arthur and took a giant swig.

"Oi!" Arthur shouted. He sounded properly angry now. Merlin couldn't taste anything, nor could he feel any remnants of powder with his tongue. Continuing to dance away from Arthur, he finished the glass; he could not detect what he had seen.

Arthur caught his hand and peeled his fingers from the glass. Merlin's throat burned; he started coughing.

"You owe me a drink." Arthur scowled, unimpressed, at Merlin. "Are you even legal?" He didn't wait for an answer and turned back to his companions. Eyes watering, Merlin began making his way back to his bar stool.


	3. Here in Your Car

"Peculiar little bugger," Ewan laughed.

"They shouldn't have let children into the competition," Valiant snorted. "God, I hate kids."

"Strange that he went after you, isn't it?" Arthur could tell Ewan was watching the boy make his way back to the other side of the bar.

"There will doubtlessly be a opportunity to teach him manners," Arthur shrugged. "If he stays on for long, that is. For now-" Ewan's face went tight with surprise a fraction of a second before a scream tore across the bar.

"MERLIN!"

Arthur turned in time to see a brunette sprint from the toilets to the bar and heave the boy from the ground. Arthur started in that direction before he realized he'd even stood up.

"Merlin, come on, Merlin buddy-" The brunette looked up at Arthur. "What the hell happened?"

"He just drank my Scotch-he said it'd been spiked." Arthur lifted one of Merlin's eyelids; the pupil had rolled back out of sight. Merlin's skin was clammy.

"Get off," the brunette growled. He shoved Arthur away and tried to gather Merlin. Merlin's head almost banged on the counter, but Arthur caught it in time.

"We can take him to Gaius." Arthur hoisted Merlin's torso into the air, and the brunette grabbed his legs. "If you call a taxi, I can carry-"

"My car's across the street," the brunette interrupted. "I'm driving."

Merlin mumbled and shivered when they got outside. Will insisted that Merlin have the front and reclined the seat so that it was nearly flat. Arthur crawled into the cramped backseat, which was filled with sticky Styrofoam cups and greasy fast food bags.

"By the way," Arthur said, nudging a cup under the driver's seat so that he'd have a place for his feet, "I'm Arthur."

"Will," the brunette grunted. "And Merlin's roommate. Why was he drinking something that he thought was spiked?" Arthur didn't like the accusatory note.

"He's clearly addled in some way or another," he retorted heatedly. Merlin's head lolled and Arthur amended his statement. "It was intended for me, and I didn't believe him. I don't know who or why-"

"So he told you it was spiked, you said or showed that you still were going to drink it anyways, and he drank it?"

"Yes."

"That makes no sense."

"I know." Arthur had no need to convince Will; Will could disbelieve Arthur all he liked. Arthur had spoken true, so there was nothing he had to prove. Arthur stared at Merlin's white face. The kid looked pale earlier, but not he was practically glowing

Will swore.

"Typical Merlin and his stupid random crazy acts of kindness. For some ingrate wallet. As if you needed any help." Will grudgingly stepped on the brake at a red light, yanked off his jacket, and gently draped it over Merlin. "Do you know what it is?"

"What what is?"

"Whatever was in your drink. Do you recognize the effects?"

"No." Arthur lifted his feet to avoid the Styrofoam cup that rolled out from under Will's seat when the car started rolling again. "Not lethal; I can't imagine someone wanting to kill me."

"Comforting," Will snorted. He laid on his horn as the car in front of them stopped abruptly and threw on its turn signal. "So who hates you?"

"No one hates me," Arthur said automatically. "Everybody loves me."

"You're not serious." Will stepped on the pedal and cut around the turning car. He caught a glimpse of Arthur's face in the rear view mirror. "Hell, you're serious."

"There are people who have been intimidated by my power," Arthur mused. "My best guess is that it was one of the contestants. One who realized my talent and that he couldn't beat me through fair competition. Someone who wanted to eliminate me before there was enough time for me to assemble a fan base."

Will shook his head. "There's definitely someone who hates you." He stepped hard on the gas to make it through a yellow light.

"Oh, really? And who's that?"

"Me, for starters. Now stop blithering and call Gaius. We'll be there soon."


	4. Call the Doctor

Gaius opened the door as soon as Will pulled into the driveway, and Arthur was out of the car before the vehicle had stopped moving.

"He's so damn cold," Will huffed as they hoisted Merlin up.

"If the effects were instantaneous as you indicated, that's evidence to support that this is a fast-passing reaction." Gaius fumbled for his glasses. "I cleared a table in my office; lay him there."

"It happened within a minute" Arthur said. He'd already mentioned it to Gaius on the phone, but he couldn't think of anything more helpful to say. Merlin began coughing, which Arthur felt-rather churlishly-was even more unhelpful.

"Any known allergies?"

"Dunno." Will kicked the ajar door fully open. Gaius' office was cluttered, but his desk had been completely cleared.

"Any current medication? Any recent medical procedures?"

"Arthur met him tonight and I met him this afternoon," Will interrupted. "We don't know him."

"Why did you bring him to me?" Gaius moaned. "I know nothing about the boy-"

"Yes, but you can give him immediate attention and it's not in the news." Arthur scowled as Will glared at him.

"Yeah, because that's priority," Will snapped. He and Arthur raised Merlin onto Gaius' table. "God forbid news gets out that Arthur Pendragon was involved-"

"Get out," Gaius ordered sharply.

"What?" Arthur's mouth dropped into an "o."

"Out. Now." Gaius wielded his eyebrow. "You can provide no useful information and your presence is proving not only a distraction but a nuisance." He swatted at Will and Arthur. "I'll provide updates, but for now I demand absolute silence and solitude." He slammed the door shut behind them and bolted it.

Merlin gasped for air and Gaius rushed back to his side. The boy's skin was clammy and his shirt was drenched in sweat. Gaius set his pillow from his chair underneath Merlin's head and layered his coat on top of Will's. He grabbed hold of Merlin's wrist and stared at his face while he took his pulse.

"Definitely weak," he muttered. "I'll find you something dry to put on." He mopped Merlin's brow with a wet washcloth. "It was extraordinarily foolish of you to let yourself lose control of your sensibilities. You're lucky Arthur brought you here; a hospital would have made note on your records."

Merlin rolled and twisted. Gaius pinned him down with his deceptively thin arms.

"It's fine, boy; your secret's safe with me."

Once Gaius wriggled Merlin's soaked shirt from Merlin's sticky skin, he wiped down Merlin's body and wrapped him in a plaid Snuggie.

"It's fairly absorbent and will wick away moisture from your skin," Gaius explained as he checked Merlin's eyes. "I could never tell if Morgana meant it as a comical present or not, but I daren't throw it out. If you can hear me, you may respond by moving your fingers." Merlin's hands remained still. "We'll just be checking your throat now..."

Gaius pinched open Merlin's jaw and blanched. Merlin's tongue was covered in a grainy yellow film that he had only seen once before.

He released Merlin's jaw and stepped backwards. Frantically, he turned to his shelves and began desperately searching for a book that he was never meant to keep.

A book that had been left behind when she fled twenty-one years ago. Because he recognized her work, and he knew enough to guess at her motivation. He had warned Uther that she wouldn't be satisfied with how she had left.

And Nimueh was relentless until she was satisfied.


End file.
